Social camouflaging checklist

Free AuDHD masking test

Masking means changing, suppressing, or compensating for neurodivergent traits to meet social expectations. This checklist helps you notice the strategies you use and the recovery cost they may carry.

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Answer based on the past six months

0 of 12 answered

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1.I prepare phrases, stories, facial expressions, or questions before social situations.
2.I analyse conversations afterwards and worry about whether I seemed natural or appropriate.
3.I copy another person's accent, gestures, energy, interests, or communication style without always intending to.
4.Different groups know noticeably different versions of me because I adapt to whoever is present.
5.I suppress movement, fidgeting, stimming, directness, enthusiasm, or sensory reactions in public.
6.I force eye contact, small talk, or stillness even when doing so makes it harder to think or listen.
7.I rely on detailed rules, observation, research, reminders, or rehearsed systems to appear spontaneous and organised.
8.People underestimate my difficulties because my coping systems hide how much effort ordinary tasks require.
9.After appearing fine, I need extended solitude, sleep, silence, or low-demand time to recover.
10.Masking makes me feel disconnected from my preferences, needs, or sense of identity.
11.When I can no longer maintain the mask, I experience shutdown, irritability, tears, or loss of functioning.
12.I avoid asking for accommodations because I worry others will not believe I need them.

What AuDHD masking can look like

Masking may include rehearsing conversations, mirroring another person's mannerisms, forcing eye contact, suppressing stimming, hiding confusion, or building elaborate systems that make executive difficulties invisible. ADHD traits can also be masked through overpreparation, perfectionism, humour, or constant self-monitoring.

Why the cost matters

The behaviour itself does not tell the whole story. The more useful question is what it costs: exhaustion, delayed emotional reactions, shutdown, loss of identity, or needing days to recover from ordinary demands. Frequent masking can also make it harder for clinicians and family members to recognise support needs.

Masking is not proof of AuDHD

People mask for many reasons, including anxiety, trauma, discrimination, chronic illness, and other neurodivergent profiles. Use this result alongside developmental history and broader traits. If depletion is the main concern, take the AuDHD burnout test.

Sources and further reading